Charlie Baker vs. Bruce Rauner
Friday, Nov 2, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Lowell Sun’s endorsement of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker…
There’s a good feeling of balance emanating from the Executive Office and on Beacon Hill these days, a far cry from what is transpiring in Washington.
People’s concerns are getting a fair hearing, no matter what side of the political aisle they are aligned.
It’s a tribute to the collaborative spirit fostered by Baker’s team with Democrat leaders controlling both branches of the state Legislature. While nothing is perfect — and differences of opinion crop up all the time — there is an attitude of respect and collegiality among lawmakers that says adults are at work and we’ll get this done.
The end result is that Massachusetts and its 6.6 million residents are better off today than they were four years ago.
Under the Baker administration, 215,000 people have found jobs who didn’t have them two years ago. New businesses are moving into the state and some existing ones are expanding. Our state public colleges are winning accolades for quality and value by national rating services and magazines, and lawmakers are pumping record dollars into the K-12 school system.
Baker, a Republican, is coasting to victory in the very “blue” state. His RCP polling average is +39.7.
* Eric Zorn compares Gov. Baker to Gov. Rauner…
But there’s a lesson in the divergence so far, one that tells us that even in these angry and polarized times, there’s a market for decorum, pragmatism and political centrism.
Rauner chose to go down — and I do mean down — a confrontational path. His strategy was to try to browbeat and insult “corrupt” Democratic legislative leaders into passing items on his highly ideological 44-point pro-business agenda, and, when that failed, to wait until they blinked during a 736-day budget stalemate.
Rauner congratulated himself on his stubbornness, impatience and resolve as the state’s fiscal condition continued to deteriorate and his poll numbers plummeted. […]
The contrasting results achieved so far by these outwardly very similar men shows that, while the public may thrill to invective and rage, what most constituents want are adult politicians who know how to work together without rancor, split their differences and get things done.
* Related…
* ‘Most governors would be proud of my 1st term’: Rauner talks why he should be re-elected
- Retired Educator - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:48 am:
Rauner had his chance, and he blew it. Nothing would change with four more years. To much mistrust, name calling, and down right hatred to get past. Time for a change.
- Pick a Name - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:52 am:
Does Massachusetts have a “Madigan?”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:53 am:
LOL… from the WGN interview…
===”She’s (Diana) my best friend. She’s my partner and she certainly helps out in the campaign,” he said. “She’s a Democrat. I’m a Republican. But it’s surprising how much we do agree on.”===
You both are Raunerites.
If anything, Bruce is an uber-left, costal, limousine liberal because of Diana.
If that statement doesn’t clarify Raunerism to you, be you a social conservative that Rauner betrayed, or a Democrat who sees Diana as an utter phony to social services, not named The Ounce, and higher education, you don’t grasp what Raunerism is.
- Grandson of Man - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:54 am:
A Baker would get strong support in Illinois as well and may coast to re-election—someone who works with opponents to put the interests of the state first. Rauner was literally waging war on Madigan during arguably the most critical fiscal time in our history, last year’s budget negotiations, after going two years without a full budget.
Rauner wanted to jam an IPI/Koch brothers/red state agenda in Illinois no matter what, and no matte how outnumbered he was.
- slow down - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:55 am:
Rauner campaigned 4 years ago as a political centrist who would govern much like Baker apparently has in Mass. The reality of Rauner as governor has been sadly anything but pragmatism and political centrism.
His inevitable downfall is no one’s fault but his own, and yet there’s very little reason to believe that he will ever understand or admit to himself that he failed as miserably as he did. He’s completely unable to look within and reflect upon his own performance.
There will be many a northshore cocktail party in the years to come dominated by Rauner explaining to his friends “Because Madigan.”
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:55 am:
===”Madigan now is weaker than he’s ever been in his career, partly from the battling, and we’ve beat him on many things that he didn’t want to have to do,” Rauner said.===
If Madigan goes veto-proof, the Dems sweep the statewide, and Cullerton gets the SGOP below 20… how did Rauner beat Madigan again?
- Annonin' - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:55 am:
The Exit Interview Tour continues. GovJunk also failed to persuade anyone that his “turnarounds” which he labels “reforms” actually did any good. For instance,Hundreds of local officials told him to stuff his anti worker local government ideas because they knew there would be little to no savings and huge damage to good working relationship. Since GovJunk and his mentors from the Koch Brothers World do not care about relationships they demand he plod on.
About the only good thing that has happened is that his early prison release plan (another so-called “reform”) has not resulted in deaths — yet
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:56 am:
–His strategy was to try to browbeat and insult “corrupt” Democratic legislative leaders…–
And unions. And social service providers.
And GOP GA members. That’s what the McCann attack was about: cross me once, even on a meaningless vote, and watch what happens.
Then he burned Radogno. Then he burned the Superstar types. Then he burned the IPI types. Then he burned the Ives’ types. Then he zeroed out the Senate GOP candidates. Then he threw Durkin under the bus on the tollway and Sterigenics…
Who was left, after all that? Somehow, this Dartmouth grad got the idea that politics and governing was an exercise in subtraction.
Quite a miscalculation based in ignorance and hubris, for a man his age.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 9:59 am:
It comes down to Baker having a constituency, Rauner has no constituency.
Party ID at this point seems silly when Rauner can’t get people to even like him.
- Stumpy's bunker - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:01 am:
Well spelled out by Zorn. His point could be further strengthened by reporting how Rauner undermined the democratic process by shooing away elected state representatives of his own party, replacing them with hand-picked governor’s representatives…an abomination which, fortunately, did not serve to attain his loftiest intended goals. Party be damned, he wanted Raunerism.
- LXB - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:03 am:
I’m not a Baker expert, but a lot of the coverage of him overlooks something that Romney coverage overlooked as well — Democrats hold a supermajority in the state legislature. It’s currently 31-7 and 117-34 in the two houses. In other words, they can pass whatever legislation they want, and Baker’s power is more or less limited to running things in the executive branch. So even if he wanted to be Bruce Rauner, he couldn’t. The same is also true of Larry Hogan in Maryland.
- Cheryl44 - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:04 am:
I say this out of respect Willie. Rainer isn’t a lefty. We like social programs and higher ed. We don’t kill elderly veterans. I wouldn’t call him a conservative either. I think the only people the Rauners care about are themselves.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:05 am:
Eric Zorn buries the lede as always
Illinois is not Massachusetts, to be sure, and Rauner arguably faced deeper and more urgent problems than Baker when he took office.
Arguably? LOL
No comparison to Massachusetts and Illinois in terms of the crisis we are in and the resistance from Democrats to make any reforms, excepts JB’s magic:
“And he has called for raising taxes on the rich by replacing Illinois’ flat income tax of 4.95 percent with a progressive one similar to the federal income tax, under which people who make more money pay higher tax rates.
To sell the idea — which would need to be approved by voters because it requires changing the state constitution — Pritzker has promised to cut income taxes for “the vast majority” of Illinoisans, including “the middle class and those struggling to get to the middle class.” But he’s refused to say where the cutoff line falls between the middle class and those beyond it, or how much more wealthy Illinoisans would pay. His reticence has generated endless questions from the state’s political reporters and fear among the well-off voters of Chicago and its wealthy suburbs that their taxes will skyrocket. “They’re scared to death of it, because they don’t know what that means in actual numbers,” says Bill Daley, the White House chief of staff under Obama, and a former hedge fund executive, who’s running to replace Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.”
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/10/05/pritzker-rauner-illinois-governor-2018-221079
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:06 am:
- Cheryl44 -
… which is why it’s called Raunerism.
It’s warped, I’ll grant you, but Raunerism *is* warped.
- Truthseeker - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:08 am:
Sounds a lot like a Kirk Dillard administration might have functioned. Republicans blew it when they settled for the ineptness of Rauner. Governor Dillard would be running for re-election against a third tier Dem.
Sometimes experience, political acumen and an individual who can make the trains run on time really is the best choice . . . . . . .as in every other walk of life.
- JS Mill - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:11 am:
=So even if he wanted to be Bruce Rauner, he couldn’t. =
That wasn’t overlooked. The point they were making is a Republican governor is able to get things done even with Democratic controlled houses of his legislature.
That is called effective.
Our governor couldn’t.
- Blue Dog Dem - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:11 am:
Massachusetts is ranked 47. Illinois is ranked 5o. In terms of fiscal solvency. Rauner made matters worse. Baker rides the status quo,pass the buck bus.
- DeseDemDose - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:18 am:
The Koch’s won’t let Bruce come to their Palm Springs secret meetings anymore after Tuesday.
- Skeptic - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:27 am:
“Illinois is not Massachusetts, to be sure, and Rauner arguably faced deeper and more urgent problems than Baker when he took office.”
Your point? Have those problems gotten any less deep or urgent? Baker’s have.
- Values Voters - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:28 am:
@EricZorn -
Bruce Rauner wasn’t the only one congratulating himself. There were lots of folks cheering Rauner on, particularly your editorial board.
Will they continue down that road if Rauner loses, or will they urge pragmatism and productivity and common ground?
Common sense tells us that if the electorate is turning back to a Democratic governor who supports a fair tax, the current views of the editorial board reflect an ever-shrinking number of readers.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:40 am:
Even when Bruce Rauner pushed the ” Massachusetts Model” of reforms he gets the stiff arm from Democrats
“Bruce Rauner has been pushing the Massachusetts model, a blue-ish state with a blue-collar history, but one where an injury must be at least 50 percent caused by the job in order to be eligible for compensation, known as a standard of causation. In ProPublica’s data, it’s also near the bottom in almost every category in terms of money paid. The average maximum compensation for losing an arm in Illinois is about $440,000; in Massachusetts, it’s $52,000. In Illinois, an eye is $235,000; in Massachusetts, $47,000.
And from 1988 to 2014, the average premium Massachusetts employers paid for workers’ comp insurance, per $100 of an employee’s wages, fell $2.50, from $3.67 to $1.17. In Illinois, it fell $1.23, from $3.58 to $2.35. Illinois was in the middle of the pack; now it pays the seventh highest premiums.”
It is foolish to believe Charlie Baker could have worked with Speaker Madigan any better than Rauner.
Mike Madigan won’t even call Democratic pension reform bills that passed the Senate for a vote
https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/May-2017/Workers-Compensation/
- Jibba - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:48 am:
BDD…I guess I’d rather ride the status quo than spiral downward. But the point is that change is incremental and improvement slow. It will take decades for us to pay off the pensions and improve even a few places, but we have to start now. Four years ago would have been better.
- Norseman - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 10:50 am:
=== Does Massachusetts have a “Madigan?” ===
Other GOP governors were able to deal with Madigan. I believe that Rauner could have come to an agreement with Madigan to clip union wings. However, Rauner wanted to kill them instead. Something no Dem could ever agree to that.
- Skeptic - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:00 am:
“It is foolish to believe Charlie Baker could have worked with Speaker Madigan any better than Rauner.” Objection, Your Honor, arguing facts not in evidence.
- City Zen - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:02 am:
Can we borrow their Sacred Cod?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:05 am:
===Illinois is not Massachusetts, to be sure, and Rauner arguably faced deeper and more urgent problems than Baker when he took office.===
Than what’s the point of the column?
Ugh.
Compare Rauner to Edgar, term 1, then show what Illinois was like, and where it is now.
Edgar and his governing, working thru contentious relations with Madigan… I’d like that.
===Illinois is not Massachusetts, to be sure, and Rauner arguably faced deeper and more urgent problems than Baker when he took office.===
So… we’ll still compare apples to oranges?
I get where Zorn wants this to go, but conceding as he has that point…
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:06 am:
Objection, Your Honor, arguing facts not in evidence.
Speaker Madigan won’t even call Democratic reform bills for a vote but you think Charlie Baker would magically get the Speaker to become a “change person”
No those are facts certainly not in evidence
- Ducky LaMoore - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:33 am:
===Speaker Madigan won’t even call Democratic reform bills for a vote but you think Charlie Baker would magically get the Speaker to become a “change person”===
Not magically. But he sure would have had a much better chance at success by treating Madigan as… you know… a human being. Madigan has always been a tough guy to work with excepting George Ryan who basically let Madigan do whatever he wanted.
- City Zen - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:47 am:
== I’d rather ride the status quo than spiral downward.==
In Illinois, the status quo is the spiral downward.
- State Worker - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:59 am:
-About the only good thing that has happened is that his early prison release plan (another so-called “reform”) has not resulted in deaths — yet-
Except it has resulted in at least one death. A prominent member of the Godfrey community was murdered in October by an inmate released in March, and released early due to the good time credits received.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 11:59 am:
===I say this out of respect Willie. Rainer isn’t a lefty. We like social programs and higher ed. We don’t kill elderly veterans. I wouldn’t call him a conservative either. I think the only people the Rauners care about are themselves.===
All due respect, Willie, I have to pile on here. Calling Rauner a liberal is an insult to liberals. In addition to what Cheryl said, we also don’t want to destroy unions and worker protections.
You may not like your Governor, and certainly he is a Raunerite, but he’s a Republican, period. Republicans elected him, just like they elected Donald Trump, just like they elected Jeanne Ives, just like they elected Steve King. That’s your party man. Own it.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:04 pm:
Did the Senate Democrats who presumably treated Speaker Madigan as a human being have any better luck with him?
I seem to recall the House and Senate unable to reconcile a budget that was 7 billion out of balance and leaving town.
I also recall the House putting the kibosh on the Grand Bargain
- Rich Miller - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:06 pm:
===Did the Senate Democrats who presumably treated Speaker Madigan as a human being have any better luck with him?===
They tried to work with the Senate Republicans to get a deal that would box Madigan in but Gov. Rauner knocked it off the rails.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:07 pm:
===I also recall the House putting the kibosh on the Grand Bargain===
Leader Radogno would beg to differ.
After the election, are you going to spam the comments with falsehoods like you do now, or will you be reprogrammed?
- JS Mill - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:09 pm:
=Objection, Your Honor, arguing facts not in evidence.=
Since when did you start concerning yourself with “facts”?
Given that other Republican governors have worked with Madigan and been able to have a functioning government, I would say that the “facts” you are citing just are not “facts”.
Or the word does not mean what you think it means.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:11 pm:
===…and certainly he is a Raunerite, but he’s a Republican…===
Nope.
Fundamentally can’t be both.
With “having to own a non-Republican”, how does that all work, since Raunerism is nether a Democratic or Republican thing.
I point to Rauner having no constituency as exhibit A.
- Skeptic - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:11 pm:
“Speaker Madigan won’t even call Democratic reform bills for a vote” Even if that were true, how would a second Rauner term change that?
- Leigh John-Ella - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:17 pm:
The Grand Bargain started with a Radogno idea and ended with Rauner orchestrating her ouster.
- Pundent - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:17 pm:
=It is foolish to believe Charlie Baker could have worked with Speaker Madigan any better than Rauner.=
It sounds like Baker’s smart enough not to run ads demonizing the Democrat’s speaker of the house during the budget cycle. Also sounds like he wasn’t setting up his party leaders for failure the way Rauner did with Radogno.
Baker shows what’s possible when a governor recognizes the co-equal nature of government. It’s a concept that continues to be foreign to both you and Rauner.
- Pundent - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:36 pm:
= Rauner made matters worse. Baker rides the status quo,pass the buck bus.=
And yet you continue to profess your deep admiration for our President who’s taking debt to unprecedented levels. Your words ring hollow.
- wordslinger - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:43 pm:
===I also recall the House putting the kibosh on the Grand Bargain==
Now tell us about how that War of Northern Aggression was about tariffs.
Seriously, though, I think you’ve done a terrific job sellin’ Rauner’s message. Keep goin’ strong, the rewards will come Tuesday night.
- Jibba - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 12:43 pm:
== I’d rather ride the status quo than spiral downward.==
In Illinois, the status quo is the spiral downward.===
We may dislike Pat Quinn for a lot of things, but he put us back on the path toward solvency by running on and passing an income tax increase. That allowed him to pay down the bill backlog and make all pension payments during the time it was in effect, stopping our spiral. The Rauner train wreck threw us off the path, so we are worse off now, which is not how to run a government.
- Blue Dog Dem - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 1:08 pm:
Jibba. I will concede that quinn was not that bad a gov. Rauner is and was. But i worry that this next guy has made so many campaign promises that raising the income tax to 6% won’t be enough to meet the day to days needs, let alone whittle away at pension debt. If you remember my definition of success, it included lowering local property taxeS. Obviously that will need to be offset by some sort of revenue increase. Lets call that a wash. If JB spends as promised he will have to come up with a heck of a tax to break even. If not the spiral of Illinois continues. We will find out soon enough.
- I am legend - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 1:53 pm:
I wish Bruce Rauner had never become Govenor. I wish he realized four year ago that Mark Janus was a person that he could convince to carry out the only agenda he truly cared about. We all would be far better off right now.
Bruce Bye….
- I Miss Bentohs - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 2:20 pm:
Serious question and I prefer to only here from my fellow Republicans: when you read the posts from LP are you as tempted as me to vote straight Democrat because LP convinces you that the GOP in miserably incapable?
(and yes, I do still believe LP is a Dem trolling us)
- Jibba - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 2:26 pm:
==this next guy has made so many campaign promises===
BDD- agreed. I am seeing Pritzker’s list as aspirational for the exact reasons you state. I hope he cannot do everything on the list, which would take $13B or more. My bet is that the situation will be seen realistically after the election, and he will not be able to address local issues (property tax), and only deal with the debt and court-ordered items. Even with lots of unfunded ambitions, the obvious choice remains anyone other than Rauner.
- City Zen - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 2:38 pm:
==but he put us back on the path toward solvency by running on and passing an income tax increase.==
One only has to look at the the pension debt when Quinn entered and left office to know that the downward spiral continued.
I’m by no means defending Rauner. And Quinn inherited a mess. But there’s no denying it’s been a downward spiral.
- Jibba - Friday, Nov 2, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
CZ, total pension debt is a poor way to judge because of the ramp. It will get worse through 2027, if I remember correctly. It is better to look at the stack of unpaid bills and whether the pension obligations for the year have been paid.